ASA bans Casumo’s repeated-play promotion advertisement
The UK Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint against a Casumo advertisement after finding that its Spinumo promotion encouraged socially irresponsible gambling that could lead to financial harm. The November 11 ruling concerns Recro Ltd, trading as Casumo, and a paid online display advertisement seen in August.
Customers participating in the promotion had to deposit £50 and wager £200 to obtain a wheel spin. Each spin offered a random award of up to 100 free spins, with each free spin worth £0.10 and expiring after 48 hours.
The promotion allowed customers to complete the qualifying activity up to five times daily. The ASA said maximum participation across its 28-day duration would involve £7,000 in deposits and £28,000 in wagering. These figures described the promotion’s maximum qualifying activity, rather than proven customer losses.
The regulator accepted that participation was optional and that wagering did not necessarily equal loss. However, it found that repeated opportunities to obtain rewards encouraged substantial gambling at a regular frequency within a limited period.
Monitoring system identified the advertisement for investigation
The advertisement was identified through the ASA’s Active Ad Monitoring system, which uses AI to search for potentially noncompliant advertising. The system supplied intelligence for the investigation; the published assessment and decision were made by the regulator.
Casumo told SBC News that it reviewed regulatory interventions and its compliance processes. In its response to the ASA, the operator argued that customers could choose whether to complete additional missions and that the promotional terms clearly explained the qualifying activity and rewards.
The CAP Code prohibits gambling marketing that encourages behavior capable of causing financial, social or emotional harm. Its gambling provisions cover licensed operators and third parties, including affiliates acting on their behalf. Compliance with the advertising codes is also a requirement under the Gambling Commission’s license conditions.
“For those reasons, we concluded the ad encouraged behaviour that was socially irresponsible or could lead to financial harm,” the ASA stated. It found breaches of rules 16.3 and 16.3.1 and ordered that the advertisement must not appear again in its existing form.
